Transacting business through/for others in early Colonial Western India: The text, context, and meaning of a mukhtar-nama of 1821

Abstract

In the Persianate world, a mukhtar-nama (deed of representation or a power of attorney) was a legal instrument that enabled people to transact business through a representative or agent (mukhtar or wakil). This is a study of one such document written in Surat in 1821. It analyses the document for its socio-cultural, legal, and commercial significance as well as to explore the transition in the adjudication of commercial disputes and civil cases from Mughal to East India Company courts. It shows that there was a strong tradition of documenting business transactions in early modern South Asia and that such practices have continued into the colonial and postcolonial periods.